Waze Downloads Increase by 40% After Plug from Apple CEO Tim Cook

Share & comment

Waze Downloads Increase by 40% After Plug from Apple CEO Tim Cook

Share & comment

When Apple CEO issued an apology letter to customers over concerns with Apple Maps, he also plugged alternative map apps, such as Waze. Thanks to this strong recommendation, Waze CEO Noam Bardin noted in an interview with the WSJ their downloads have increased 40% in a single day compared to normal:

Did you guys get a nice bump from Tim Cook’s comments?

Noam Bardin: We saw about a 20% bump in downloads when iOS 6 came out. Today, it’s just out of control. We’re going to break every download record today. So far, we’re up up about 40% for a regular day.

Did Apple tell you that your app would be featured?

Noam Bardin: We had no idea. Nobody asked us anything, nobody reached out to us. It’s Apple, they’re not gonna tell anything to anyone. But it’s great, not just the apologizing, but they created a category and featured this category. Launching a maps app in a half-baked way, that was a questionable decision. But making up for that so fast and making a category, it’s great.

Waze is a map start up that has exploded in popularity, as it now sits at over 26 million users (they hit 20 million in July). The service is unique as it relies on crowdsourcing to deliver real-time data to customers, such as traffic jams, accidents, gas prices and more.

Not only that, Waze determines the fastest turn-by-turn voice navigation thanks in large part to the accurate data being fed by its users. The company is already in talks with major automakers to bring Waze integration into GPS systems. Are you a current Waze user?